The ARC Baltic arrival into Russia on Friday 26th
July saw a busy day as the fleet cleared in at Krondshtadt. It was a long day
of paperwork checks, boat inspections, and visits from the sniffer dogs, but
crews took the formalities in their stride, “The customs officials were so nice
we couldn’t believe it!” said Philip of Kleopatra. On board family boat Selkie,
“The sniffer dog was more interested in Rory’s cheerios than anything else!”
Once all cleared in, boats filled up with fuel after their light wind trip from
Tallinn; Carol from Frannie B remarked that, thankfully, “The guy on the fuel
dock speaks perfect English and at 49 rubles a litre the fuel is about half
the price we’re used to!”
Featuring several large boats in the ARC Baltic fleet, Sapphire
and Inflagranti were cleared in but will be staying at the Krondshtadt as their
mast height is too great to clear the bridge into St Petersburg. The remainder
of the fleet paraded through to the Center River Yacht Club arriving to be
greeted with a Russian wedding in full swing. Shower cards and power cables
where the most important for many of the crews but once the essentials were
sorted, they could not wait to head off and explore the secrets of St Petersburg.
There was a great buzz of excitement and the feeling of arriving in Russia on a
cruising boat was obviously a special achievement and indeed one of the main
reasons many joined the ARC Baltic cruise.
On Saturday, crews ventured for a tour of the world famous
Winter Palace, led by Slatvana, one of the administrators. The tour began with
an official welcome in the palace’s stunning theatre, where Rally Control
continued the tradition of presenting a flag in recognition of the museums hospitality,
feeling privileged to enjoy a private tour as just a small number of the museums’
3.5 Million annual visitors. Amongst the
State Hermitage Museum’s collection are works by Leonardo da Vinci,
Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, a unique collection of Rembrandts and Rubens,
many French Impressionist works by Renoir, Cezanne, Manet, Monet and Pissarro,
numerous canvasses by Van Gogh, Matisse, Gaugin and several sculptures by
Rodin. The collection is both enormous and diverse and is an essential stop for
all those interested in art and history. The experts say that if you were to
spend a minute looking at each exhibit on display in the Hermitage, you would
need 11 years before you'd seen them all; with just a day to explore, crews were
thankful for Slatvana’s guidance.
The weekend exploring St. Petersburg continued with,
visiting the ornate Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood for the obligatory
photo opp with the colourful turrets and trips to the ballet and the opera. On Sunday,
crews took a bus ride to the Peterhof Palace and gardens – dubbed the “Russian
Versailles”. Previously the royal summer palace of Tsars past, it is set in
beautiful gardens with the most amazing fountain systems driven by pressure
from lakes on higher ground behind the palace and guides Vika, Marsha and Irena
provided an insightful commentary of Russian history. Their stories of the past
were told along the way and included how much Russia has changed since the
Soviet Union days, and the resulting impact on the different groups of society. It was very humbling to hear of the hardships
and sufferings that occurred to grandparents and parents of the guides. A
reminder that it really was not that long ago, that Russian people were not
allowed to talk of foreign place never mind visit them.
From the historic to the modern, also on Sunday crews
gathered to see Russia’s marine forces take part in ‘Navy Day’ showing the
pride of the military. A parade through the rivers around the 42 islands of St
Petersburg caused traffic mayhem as the bridges all had to be open for the
vessels to pass, but was quite a sight for participants to see.
Sunday evening was a night on the town once again with
ballets, opera and a fantastic folk show with traditional costume dancers and
singers displaying love stories - a treat for all, especially Steve from Bolero
who found himself on stage! After the shows, many then ventured off into the
city streets to find restaurants before retiring for the night.
With so much excitement, and a rather noisy nightclub in
close proximity to the marina, several boats have opted to head to the tranquillity
of Finnish waters early and will start to make their way to Helsinki. The fleet have two options of checking into
Finland; Hapsaari island, a small harbour with basically a customs dock and an
anchorage or Sveaborg just outside Helsinki. If Hapsaari island is the choice
it gives an opportunity to explore the many anchorages and hidden gems along
the coast line en route to Helsinki.